Caprese Salad is one of those classic salads that should not me messed with. The classic Italian Caprese Salad is made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and sweet basil. Simply seasoned with salt and olive oil.

A Caprese Salad features the colors of the Italian flag, green, white, and red and in Italy, it is usually served as an antipasto. Then, I took one look at this recipe and decided, let me re-work it a little. Let me give it a Nina-twist. I saw these absolutely beautiful, ripe vine tomatoes in the shop and just wanted to give it the best treatment possible. We all know tomato and basil are room mates, it therefor was a given. The mozzarella was a little bit of a problem. We now get real, fresh mozzarella in the Western Cape,  for me sadly, it still is pricey. Too pricey for a week day salad.

Luckily, I work with the wonderful people at Fairview and happen to have a few Ripe & Ready Camemberts in my fridge. I love Camembert for its mild sweet taste. Exactly what you need with the salty basil pesto and the fresh tomatoes. My Caprese Salad should be served at room temperature. This will result in the tomatoes being at their sweetest and the cheese at its ooziest. So, I know the purists will have a heart attack about the Camembert Cheese. I hear you! Let’s just agree to disagree that this is my Caprese “Inspired” Salad.

It is perfect for a ladies lunch and I suggest you serve it with a warm ciabatta to mop up all the delicious juices.

Wine Pairing

A ladies lunch can only be better with an ice-cold crispy white wine. Fairview has such a wonderful selection. The best part is you can shop online and deliveries for 12 bottles and up is free ANYWHERE in South Africa. For this lunch we chose the Fairview Paarl Chenin Blanc. Of course you can serve your salad the conventional way! However I think it looks rather pretty with the tomatoes standing up on a plate.

Caprese Salad

Ingredients

2 vine ripe tomatoes

2 x 100 g Fairview Ripe & Ready Camembert

125 ml/130 g  basil pesto – Pesto Princess is a fantastic brand

sea salt and pepper

fresh salad leaves for serving

Method

Cut each round cheese in halve so that you have 4 rounds. Cut each tomato in thick slices. Place the bottom of the tomato on a serving plate. Place a round of cheese on top. Spread a spoonful of pesto on the cheese round. Top with a tomato slice and repeat to finish the two tomatoes. Season with sea salt and another drizzle of olive oil.

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